Father Figure (song)
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| "Father Figure" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by George Michael | ||
| from the album Faith | ||
| Released | January 1 1988 | |
| Genre | Pop | |
| Length | 5:40 | |
| Label | Columbia | |
| Writer(s) | George Michael | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| George Michael singles chronology | ||
| Faith (1987) |
Father Figure (1988) |
One More Try (1988) |
"Father Figure" was a song written and performed by George Michael and released on Epic Records on January 1, 1988. The third single taken from the Faith album, it was a sharp and sensual tale of seduction which was more than five minutes long and epitomised the sexual nature of Michael's writing which he had adopted since the latter years of Wham!.
The song was actually supposed to be an uptempo dance track, but the snare drum was accidentally left out of the mix during recording, turning it into the slow and rather ethereal tune it is known for being.
The video starred Vogue model Tania Coleridge.
[edit] Chart Performance
Released in January 1988, "Father Figure" reached number eleven in the UK singles chart - the first time Michael had failed to reach the top ten in his home country. The song remained a live favourite at Michael's concerts for many years and is also one of his most frequently aired songs on the radio in the UK.
In the U.S., "Father Figure" became George Michael's sixth number one single (counting #1 singles garnered as half of Wham!). "Father Figure" debuted at #49 on January 16, 1988, while Faith was still prominent (at #9) in the top tier of the chart. In the subsequent weeks, "Father Figure" was a surefire hit, reaching #1 by its seventh week, February 27, 1988, staying at the top for two weeks. Altogether, the single spent 6 weeks in the Top 10, 9 weeks in the Top 20, and 14 weeks in the Top 40.
[edit] Covers
In 1993, the song was prominently sampled by P.M. Dawn on their hit "Looking Through Patient Eyes".
"Father Figure" is also the name of a Degrassi: The Next Generation episode. The series frequently names its episodes after song titles. [1] The backing music and hook of the song are also sampled in LL Cool J's song "Father," from his 1997 album, Phenomenon.
In 1993, George Michael performed an acoustic version of this song for MTV Unplugged.
In February 2006, the song hit #37 on the U.S. iTunes Store chart shortly after American Idol (Season 5) contestant Ace Young sang it during the first final round. Young later recorded a full studio version for American Idol Season 5: Encores. Young's version of the track peaked at #108 on U.S. Billboard.
| Preceded by "Seasons Change" by Exposé |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single February 27, 1988 |
Succeeded by "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley |
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